


Whoa, Dude! Are you Okay?

by Es2784



Category: Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: Aaron Goodwin - Freeform, Billy Tolley - Freeform, Exhaustion, Gen, Ghost Adventures - Freeform, Ghost Adventures Crew, Jay Wasley - Freeform, Other, Sick Character, Sick Zak, Sickfic, Whump, Zak Bagans - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24834166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Es2784/pseuds/Es2784
Summary: Zak gets too run down and ends up getting really sick while filming. The guys have to help him get through the difficult week of filming! (Based off of the Saint James Hotel episode)
Relationships: Zak Bagans/Aaron Goodwin
Comments: 68
Kudos: 46





	1. Getting on the Road

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fic, so please be nice :)
> 
> *DISCLAIMER*  
> I do not own Ghost Adventures or the people in this story!

A loud and resounding knock made its way into Zak’s unconsciousness and disrupted the restless state of sleep he had been in. He slowly cracked his eyes open and squinted against the bright light that was filtering in through the nearby window. His head immediately began to pound and Zak could feel his heartbeat in his ears. A loud yet tired cough escaped from his sore chest as he tried to sit up, his exhausted body protesting each movement.

Another deafening knock came at the hotel door, “Zak are you up? The RV is here,” Aaron’s muffled voice said from the hallway.

Zak sighed and knew that he couldn’t miss this day of filming. The first day of interviews and shooting was probably one of the most important days for the production. He felt like absolute shit, but he couldn’t afford to let that stop him. He sniffled and rubbed his swollen painful eyes.

“Yeah, I’ll be down in a minute,” he groggily replied, wincing at his raw throat.

“Alright, I’ll let the crew know. Better hurry up,” Aaron cheerfully said, oblivious to the agony his best friend was in.

Zak sat up in bed leaning forward, mouth open, miserably thinking about his terrible state of health. Last night he had been out with the boys for their usual pre-episode dinner. Things were going well and everything was amazing until a family with more than one coughing member was seated at the table behind him. Between his already compromised respiratory system as well as the seasonal allergies he had begun to feel creep their way into his sinuses that day, Zak wasn’t exactly surprised when he woke up feeling like death the next morning.

He forced himself to his feet and immediately swayed when black dots began to dance in his vision. Zak caught himself, gripping the headboard with a solid hold as he waited for the dizziness to subside. His eyes were so swollen and even without the vertigo, he was having trouble seeing. After most of the dots had cleared, Zak sucked in a breath only to be sent into an uncontrollable coughing fit. He doubled over and placed his hands on his knees as the spasms racked his tender chest. The illness combined with his underlying lung sensitivity and asthma was making it incredibly hard to breathe, and soon Zak had collapsed on the floor again. Luckily, his inhaler was on the bedside table and he was able to quickly grab it.

Zak held the plastic object up to his chapped lips and did his best to suck in the relieving mist. He shut his eyes and slowly breathed his way through the fit, evening out his breaths. Finally, he managed to gather enough strength to stand and make his way towards the small table that occupied the corner of his hotel room. Zak cracked open the bottle of water that was sitting on top of the counter and gulped down a few mouthfuls of the lukewarm liquid, doing his best to ignore the terrible pain in his throat.

He glanced at the clock and was startled. The guys were waiting for him downstairs. Zak quickly threw on his pair of black baggy pants and a slightly wrinkled black crew neck sweater. He sniffed as he got dressed and finally managed to put himself together a bit. He made his way to the bathroom and was shocked at his appearance in the mirror. His skin was much paler than usual and the redness around his puffy eyes made them stand out even more despite how near closed they were. His nose was also pink and there were bags underneath his eyes that were clearly dark against his white skin. Zak sighed and barely attempted to fix his messy black hair. He already looked a mess and there was hardly anything he could do to fix it at that point.

“Oh God,” he mumbled to himself as he tipped the Tylenol bottle into his hand, sniffing and trying to keep the persistent liquid in his nose rather than out. He took two pills and swallowed them down with the water bottle from earlier.

A knock came from the door again. ”Zak, we gotta go. Hurry up, man,” Aaron’s voice said from the hallway again. “I’m going to stand and wait here,” he said and Zak sighed at the annoyance in his friend’s voice.

Zak decided to just throw his black hat on and took a deep breath as he prepared himself to finally go out. He grabbed his sunglasses, phone, and key card off of the table and stumbled his way to the door. He opened it and was met with the bright and cheery face of his best friend.

“Well morning. Geez man, you were taking forever. Everything okay?” Aaron asked, taking in the disheveled appearance of Zak.

“Yeah, just tired. Let’s go,” Zak replied hurriedly avoiding his friend’s concerned gaze.

  
The pair walked down the hallway and towards the stairs. Zak could already feel the energy sapping away from him with each step and he began to drag his feet as he trudged on. Aaron pushed the door open to the stairwell and held it open for Zak to come through. Zak immediately grabbed hold of the railing as he began to descend, ignoring the suspicious look Aaron gave him.

At the last stair, the dizziness and exhaustion that Zak had been feeling during what seemed to be a never ending walk finally caught up to him. Dots clouded his vision again and he stumbled down the stairs, knees buckling underneath his warm body. Aaron quickly grabbed his arm to refrain him from falling towards the bottom of the stairwell.

Zak slumped in his friend’s tight grip and slowly closed his eyes against the dizziness he felt. He sighed and coughed into his arm, chest lurching painfully at each spasm.

“Shit Zak! What the hell?! Are you okay?” Aaron said, panicked at the sudden state of weakness Zak was in. A low groan came from the fallen man in response.

“Billy, Jay! Get in here!” Aaron shouted towards the propped open door.

Zak winced at the loud voice booming close to his head. He had fully collapsed against Aaron, heat radiating off of his body. His friend’s tight grip was the only thing holding him up and Zak could feel how tense and panicked he was.

Not wanting to be seen in such a pitiful state, Zak tried to shrug off Aaron’s hands and sit up by himself. He managed to sit up a little, but Aaron’s grip remained tight around his torso. Heavy footsteps made their way into the stairwell as Billy and Jay simultaneously stumbled through the door, worry clear in their eyes.

“What the hell happened,” Billy asked shocked at the sight before them.

“I don’t know! We were walking down the stairs and he just collapsed. He would’ve gone straight down the stairs if I hadn’t caught him,” Aaron said as Billy and Jay made their way towards their fallen friend.

“Mm fine, we gotta go,” Zak mumbled and shooed away the concerned hands that were on his shoulders.

“Nah man, you gotta rest. We will get you to the RV, but you can’t come out for interviews today,” Billy said peering into Zak’s mostly shut eyes.

 _No, I have to be there for the interviews. I’ve never not been the one interviewing, that’s my thing_ , Zak thought to himself. Suddenly, there were arms underneath his and hands wrapping around his skinny torso, hoisting him up. He swayed instantly and his legs almost gave out on him again.

“Easy man, easy, we got you,” Aaron said, tightening his grip on his friend’s side. Billy took up his other side and the trio slowly moved towards the open door.

“Jay, go make sure the path to the RV is clear and that there are minimal people around please. We can’t alarm anyone,” Billy told the younger man. Jay nodded and quickly moved to prepare the way for them.

Zak’s head lolled to rest on Aaron’s shoulder, his black hat tipping ever so slightly, and his eyes were hardly open.

“Alright, let’s get you into the RV,” Billy said slowly starting to guide him out towards the door and into the bright sunlight. A low groan came from the man between them as the sun struck his sensitive senses. The light was excruciating and Zak began to collapse again, legs going to jelly as his head began to swim with dizziness.

“Whoa whoa whoa, Zak?!” Aaron exclaimed at the sudden weight that was being brought down upon his shoulders. The taller man was much heavier than he looked, causing Billy and Aaron to be pulled closer as Zak slowly fell to the ground in a feverish heap.

“Shit, we have to get him to the RV, Aaron,” Billy said, watching as their friend rolled onto the concrete, hazily conscious.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just call an ambulance, Bill? I’ve never seen him this sick before,” Aaron asked looking over to where Zak lay, stuffily trying to breathe. At the sound of that question, Zak perked up a bit.

“No, no hospitals, mhm fine,” he mumbled, trying to get up. He shut his eyes tightly to stave off the dizziness and exhaustion that was coming straight to his head. Aaron and Billy quickly leaped into action, muttering words of concern and helping him get up again.

“Take it easy Zak, I think Aaron is right, you should go to the hospital,” Billy said, grabbing a hold of one of his friend’s rather large arms.

“Mhm fine, we gotta get to the location,” Zak quietly replied, focusing all of his energy on making it to the RV door. He stumbled forward and tried to regain his composure when concerned eyes of the rest of the crew saw him.

Aaron and Billy still had tight grips on his arms, and helped him stay upright enough to hesitatingly take a few shaky steps towards the RV. Zak grabbed the handle railing to pull himself up the stairs as best as he could. Each step caused his chest to heave and he coughed painfully trying to clear the mucus that made itself known each time he took in a breath. Aaron remained at his side, arm slung beneath his shoulders and coiled around his torso. Billy watched from the ground and looked ready to spring into action if he fell back again.

The exhaustion was instantly multiplied and Zak’s swollen eyes began to drift close again once they reached the top of the steps. His legs began to give out once more as the tiredness assaulted his senses.

“Whoa, Zak, Zak, come on man stay with me,” Aaron begged when Zak started to slump again. His glasses fell forward onto his nose as his chin dipped down to his chest, his brain almost 100 percent void of consciousness.

“Bill, I need some help!” Aaron yelled out the door. He adjusted his grip on Zak, coming behind him and lacing his arms underneath his arms trying to stop his body from falling to the floor for the third time.

Aaron’s loud voice jolted Zak back from complete slumber, and he managed to raise his head up a little. However, the rest of his body and limbs remained limp and useless due to the intense exhaustion that was coursing through his feverish body. His swollen eyes hazily stared at the floor of the vehicle as Aaron’s hands held him back from falling.

“Oh Jesus, okay, here, let’s at least get him to the couch,” Billy’s voice stated from behind Aaron.

“Zak, hey man we’re gonna lay you down on the couch okay?” Aaron said quietly. A deep groan came in response from the tall man.

“Okay, ready?” Billy asked, taking one of Zak’s arms. Aaron nodded in reply and the two pulled Zak up to a standing position once more. Zak’s head began to swim even more and he couldn’t stop himself from falling backwards with the momentum.

“Whoa, whoa, okay, we got you, we got you,” Aaron ground out, gently working with Billy to bring Zak forward again. The man really was much heavier than his skinny frame showed. The two men supporting Zak’s sides slowly moved towards the couch, trying their best to get him there as soon as possible.

With one final step, Aaron and Billy gently lowered Zak onto the couch. By that time, his eyes were completely shut, and he was breathing rather hard after the whole ordeal. Billy sighed and looked worriedly at their friend as Aaron carefully lifted Zak’s legs onto the rest of the couch. He delicately removed his glasses and ever so slightly raised his head to pull off the black hat that was concealing the iconic messy raven hair. When Aaron removed the hat, he felt the heat of Zak’s forehead and was immediately a thousand times more worried.

“He’s really burning up, Bill,” he said, placing the precious items on the counter top.

“Does he have his inhaler?” Billy asked thinking back to how much Zak had been coughing in the stairwell.

“I think so. He always has one on the bus somewhere,” Aaron said. “Bill he’s got a really high fever,” he stated again, studying their ailing friend.

“Yeah, I figured. I have never seen him this sick before,” Billy said in reply.

“Yeah me neither dude, I’m really worried. This does not look good. What do we do?” Aaron asked, turning to Billy.

“I don’t know. He hates hospitals and I feel like if we took him to one, he’d just get more stressed out,” Billy replied. “I think if we just make sure he rests and stays hydrated he’ll be alright for now. If he’s not better by tonight, we are taking him to the hospital, no questions,” he said walking over to the table.

“Yeah, okay, I’m just really worried about him. What about today’s shoot?” Aaron inquired.

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea to have him all over the location and with interviews. It’s bad for him and them. I mean he could hardly make it to the RV,” Billy said gesturing to the sleeping form of Zak.

“Let’s just figure that out when we get to the location,” he decided, settling into a nearby chair. Aaron nodded and sat down adjacent to the couch.

“Hey guys, we’re ready to go, everything is loaded up and Bacon’s up front,” Jay called from the door.

“Alright, we’ve got a long drive ahead of us, let’s get going,” Billy said, turning to look at Jay. “Is he okay?” Jay asked quietly nodding towards Zak’s direction. Aaron glanced at him and shook his head.

Jay sighed and silently took a seat across from Billy at the table. The two began to converse about what they should do in hushed voices. Suddenly, the RV began to move, and they were on their way out. Aaron sighed and looked back at Zak. He was far too pale, but his cheeks were rosy pink due to the fever that raged through his body.

Aaron settled against the comfy couch and watched over his friend as the bus turned on to a main street. _What are we going to do with you Zak?_ Aaron thought to himself as he wondered of what the long and difficult day was going to bring for him and the crew.


	2. He Should Have Just Stayed on the Bus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will he have enough strength to make it through the morning?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a delay! I decided to split this chapter into two because it was going to be really long. 
> 
> *DISCLAIMER*  
> I do not own Ghost Adventures or the people in this story!

Zak awoke to the sound of feet shuffling and the occasional shove against the side of the RV. There were people outside speaking in hushed voices as they helped unload the bus of all the important and expensive equipment for the day’s shoot.

“Careful Jay, that’s got like all of the cameras in it,” Billy’s voice said from outside the door.

More movement caused Zak to crack his swollen eyes open to look around. His chest rattled with mucus and each breath he took caused him to wheeze. He coughed to clear the uncomfortable sensation and was immediately thrown into a heavy fit. Zak gasped for the air that was being so deprived of from his lungs and reached out for anything sturdy to try and pull himself up with. 

“Zak? Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay, breathe, just breathe,” Aaron’s voice said as he came into Zak’s hazy vision. 

A set of hands was helping him sit up and Zak continued to wheeze, leaning forward. Everything was spinning and his chest hurt so badly he thought his lungs were filled with fire and metal. He reached out and grabbed Aaron’s shirt, gripping it in a tight grasp of agony as he continued to cough. Aaron patted his back and muttered words of comfort, trying to help Zak clear the guck out of his lungs. To no avail, he kept coughing and the wheezing was becoming unbearable. When the fit ceased to end after a minute and true, confused terror began to shine in Zak’s eyes, Aaron knew something was wrong.

“Hey Bill, where’s his inhaler?!” Aaron shouted towards the door.

“I don’t know, check the front! Is everything okay?” Bill answered back.

Aaron didn’t reply and instead carefully left Zak leaning against the back of the couch. He rubbed his shoulder before turning to make his way towards the front of the RV in search of the inhaler. Aaron hastily began to dig through the drawers, desperately trying to find the precious object. Heavy footsteps made their way up into the RV as Billy and Jay came in to see what all the commotion was about. 

“Shit, Jay, go help Aaron look for his inhaler. Zak, Zak, hey man you gotta breathe, come on stay with me,” Aaron heard Billy say when he looked up to see who had come in. Billy was sitting on the couch gently rubbing Zak’s back while he was doubled over and holding his chest. Jay nervously scurried over to help Aaron look through the many drawers at the front of the RV. 

“Guys, hurry up! He’s having an asthma attack!” Billy shouted from the couch. More severe wheezing could be heard from their ailing friend as Zak began to cough in between ‘breaths’. Aaron frantically opened every cabinet and drawer searching in distress for the inhaler.

“I found it!,” Jay cried out in relief while holding the small plastic object in the air.

“Here, give it to me,” Aaron said and crossed over to where Jay was standing next to one of the cabinets. Jay gave it to Aaron and the two of them rushed back to the couch.

Zak was still coughing deep, wet, hacks that sent everyone into a flurried state of panic. Aaron sat next to him on the couch, placed a hand on Zak’s shoulder and gently pressed the inhaler into his palm. He took it without looking and shakily raised it to his chapped lips. Zak pushed the top down and sucked the healing mist in between the rough coughs and wheezing. 

“Should I call 911,” Jay asked, looking concerned at the ailing man before him. Billy and Aaron looked at each other from either side of Zak, internally debating what they should do in this situation. Neither said anything and both continued to comfortingly stroke their friend’s back, trying to help him get through the horrible and scary fit.

Zak slowly but surely calmed and his breaths were more or less getting even, the coughs winding down to short sputters instead. His eyes were squeezed shut and the exhaustion in his body caused him to lean ever so slightly against Aaron. Aaron felt the strong heat radiating off of him even at the smallest touch and it really began to worry him again. The silence in the room per the occasional wheeze or sniffle was lulling everyone to sleep, especially Zak.

Jay looked at his watch and sighed. He knew he had to be the one to bring everyone back to the looming responsibility of filming for the next episode. Billy seemed to slightly glance up at Jay when he sighed and understood what was happening: if they don’t do something now, they are going to be late for their first interview with the housekeeper of the Saint James Hotel. Aaron seemed to notice the slight shift in worry between the group of men and stole a look at the location outside.

The old building was like a time capsule of preserved western life and energy. Only a small portion of it had ever been renovated from the original and most of the floors were completely untouched by the modern design of society. The hotel was absolutely stunning in and of itself and promised to be full of hauntings and history, yet something was still missing. Zak was usually the one to hype everyone up and nerd out about the locations they were going to just to help the crew better understand how important it was to truly connect with the place. However, due to the unfortunate circumstances, there was a lingering feeling of apprehension and almost reluctance to step off the RV and begin the day of filming. 

The alarm that the crew always set as their “5 minute call” went off from the front of the bus. The loud sound quickly snapped everyone back from their slight day dreaming and Jay cleared his throat.

“Well, we’ve got five minutes, guys. What are we gonna do?” He asked after the timer shut itself off. Billy and Aaron looked up at Jay and then back at each other. Billy sighed and glanced at the tired form of Zak and then back at the location. 

“I guess we’re going to have to do the interviews without him,” Billy said, looking back down at Zak. At these words, Zak finally perked up for the first time in a while and cracked his eyes open. He shifted off of Aaron and sat up suppressing a cough. Zak sniffled loudly and shook his head to stave away the dizziness that continued to impede on his senses. 

“Nah, I’m fine, gotta do the interviews,” he mumbled as he pushed off the hands of his concerned friends. Zak slowly began to stand up only to find that he seemed to be more exhausted than he originally thought. He quickly fell back onto the couch after only rising a few inches.

“Hey man, I think maybe you should sit this one out, you look really bad,” Aaron said gently trying to gain Zak’s attention.

“Yeah I agree dude, you slept for a good five hours and you still look too exhausted to move. Just stay on the bus and we can take care of today’s shoot,” Billy said looking Zak in the eyes.

Despite their words of reassurance, Zak simply couldn’t allow a silly illness to keep him from doing his dream job. He had been so excited about this location and he wasn’t about to just quit and take the day off because he felt sick.

Zak shook his head and refused to listen to their concerns as he tried to get up off the couch again. Aaron sighed, and realized that there was no stopping their ambitious and set-minded friend from getting out to work on the production today. He also knew that if he didn’t help Zak now, Zak would most likely spend all of the “energy” he had just by trying to get up and off of the couch. 

“Okay, fine, but if you feel like you’re going to pass out again, you have to sit down. We don’t need you to collapse during one of the interviews, man,” Aaron said as he helped Zak up. His friend swayed on his feet and grabbed onto Aaron’s shoulder for support and balance. 

“Mhm fine we’ve got the interviews,” Zak said, sniffling as he began to stumble to the door of the RV. 

“At least drink something, man. You didn’t make it to breakfast so you should drink some water, you need to stay hydrated,” Billy said, offering Zak a water bottle from off of the counter.

Zak sighed knowing that without something in his system he was bound to pass out again. He nodded and took the bottle, mumbling his thanks and also his complaints. Aaron turned to the table where he had put Zak’s hat and glasses and grabbed them as Zak cracked the bottle open. 

He took a hesitant gulp and winced at the raw soreness of his throat. Zak closed his eyes and did his best to at least drink half of the bottle before coughing a little and screwing the cap back on. He cleared his throat and then turned to start walking towards the door once more. Aaron was standing there with Zak’s hat and glasses, offering them with a look of sympathy.

“Thanks man,” Zak said stuffily and made his way to the entrance, the rest of the crew following close in tow.  The group moved down the stairs of the RV and Zak found himself grimacing against the heat and sunlight that seemed to multiply his dizziness by a tenth. Billy walked up to the door first to try and distract the owner as much as possible so Zak didn’t have to talk much.

Zak coughed roughly into his arm before putting his hat and sunglasses on as he started shuffling up the driveway. Aaron kept close behind him, filming as he walked towards the building. 

The owner stood on the porch talking to Billy who went over the game plan for the day’s production. The pair turned as soon as the messy looking and pale Zak walked up to them.

“Hello sir, Zak Bagans,” Zak said, “and you must be the owner I’m guessing?” he asked, referring to the hotel behind them.

“Yes I am, welcome to Saint James Hotel, sir,” the man said with a smile. He reached his hand out and offered to shake Zak’s hand. Suddenly, Zak turned away from the owner and sneezed loudly into his arm, followed by a rough cough. He sniffled and wiped his eyes that were tearing up after the fiasco.

“I’m so sorry, I’m a little bit under the weather today. It’s probably best if we keep a distance,” Zak sniffed, putting his glasses back on and rubbing his red nose.

“That’s an understatement,” Zak heard Aaron whisper to himself from behind the camera. He turned and glared at his friend who put one of his hands up in surrender. 

“Ah, sorry to hear about that, son. Well, we best get started now. I’ll show you inside, Jennifer, one of our housekeepers will be here soon,” the owner said, nodding in understanding towards Zak as he lowered his hand. The man turned and led the crew into the building. Aaron kept close to his wobbly friend as they walked into the hotel. 

The lobby was lit up by bright yellow walls that seemed to glow almost loudly in the sunlight filtering through the dusty old windows. The wooden floors creaked and cried as the group stepped in, each crack releasing the many memories that had been stored in them over the years of the hotel’s operation. Original decorations and objects lined the shelves on the walls, every one of them waiting to tell their story again. 

A gasp of awe escaped Aaron as he took in the interior of the old building. He noticed Zak shiver as he looked around, either feeling the strength of the energy that resided in the hotel, or the cool air conditioning hitting his feverish body.

“Here it is boys, the most haunted hotel around,” the owner said, turning and holding his arms out to present the astonishing room they were in.

Aaron smiled, and for a minute he forgot about all the worries in the world and took in what his amazing job had given him the opportunity to be a part of. He let the stress of Zak’s stubbornness and illness fade away along with the pressing schedule the producers had for the day, and all seemed calm, just for a second.

He was brought back to reality when Zak boomingly coughed into his arm, turning away from the group once more. Aaron lowered his camera and went to place a hand on his friend’s heaving back as Zak’s chest continued to bark. 

“Hey, it’s okay Zak. You good?” Aaron murmured just out of range of the owner as he rubbed gentle circles on Zak’s thin frame to provide a small bit of comfort. He winced at the horrible vibrations that were being sent to his hand from every cough that escaped his friend’s sick body. Zak pulled out his inhaler from his pocket and held it up to his mouth, closing his eyes as he pressed down on the top button. 

Aaron noticed that Billy had drawn the owner away from them and was politely guiding him to talk more so Zak could have a little bit of privacy while he recovered from his fit. Over the years of working together, the crew had come to know that there was only one thing Zak hated more than being sick, and that was being sick in front of people. Their leader had always been known to be “mr. tough guy” and showing weakness was not something he liked to do too often, especially when it came to talking with people before lockdown. Aaron was snapped back to the present situation when he felt Zak shake his hand off. 

“You okay?” Aaron inquired, peering into Zak’s swollen eyes. His friend nodded, and quickly slipped the inhaler back into his pocket before others noticed. Zak cleared his throat and sniffed, looking around the hotel.

“Where’s the owner guy?” He croaked, seeing no sign of him or Billy.

“Bill drew him away. We know you hate it when people stare at you when you’re sick,” Aaron replied, as he started to walk towards the direction Billy and the owner went. Zak mumbled something and followed Aaron who hoisted the camera back onto his shoulder as they walked into a nearby hallway.

The carpet in the hallway was ruby red and the walls had old-fashioned wallpaper that seemed to cry the styles of western life. The hotel doors that lined the hallway were aged in a way that felt as though a piece of every person that had ever walked by remains imprinted in the wood. At the end of the passage, Billy seemed to be finishing up talking with the owner. The pair glanced up at Zak and Aaron approaching them and shook hands, signaling the end of their conversation.

“Thanks, man,” Billy said as the owner walked back down the hallway towards the lobby. Aaron smiled as the older man passed by them as they made their way to meet with Billy.

“How ya feelin, Zak?” Bill asked concerned, “I know you don’t like it when people stare at you when you’re sick so I figured it’d be best if we gave you some space,” He said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine Bill, thanks. This would be a good place to do like an intro,” Zak stuffily said, walking around the hallway. “The only problem is I can barely breathe right now, let alone talk very much. God my chest hurts,” He coughed as he turned to the guys. Aaron sighed and looked at Zak with a pitiful glance.

“Maybe we could just do a quick clip of you saying you’re sick today and then you can do a voiceover for the intro when you get better,” Billy suggested. 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea man. You sound really bad and it’s probably best if you save your voice for later during the interviews,” Aaron agreed. Zak nodded tiredly and sucked in a breath as he turned to walk down the hallway more. 

“Okay, roll cameras,” He said as he made his way to the end of the passage. Aaron shifted to follow him and stood off to the side, holding his camera back up on his shoulder. 

Jay came out of nowhere from the lobby area with another camera and Billy quickly filled him in on what the plan of action was. Jay nodded and stood just behind Aaron to the left, shooting Zak from a different angle. 

Zak turned around again and coughed into his arm, sniffling and rubbing his nose as he turned around to face the cameras.

“This is the first time on any Ghost Adventures shoot that I have ever been this sick,” Zak croaked, drawing out and stressing the last part. “And I am wearing sunglasses because my eyes are so shut,” He said, taking them off to reveal his swollen dark green eyes. Zak motioned with his hand to show the redness of his eyes as he spoke. Aaron moved closer with his camera to get a better angle as the crew moved down the hallway, Jay following just behind

“And uh, I’m really in bad shape,” He sniffed wetly as he shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m really trying to fight this,” Zak sighed, carefully putting his sunglasses back on as he turned away from looking at the blinding cameras and their lights. He breathed out and muttered an “okay let’s go” to the guys who lowered their cameras the slightest bit as they followed Zak out.

Aaron and Billy found themselves walking side by side again, tension and worry floating in the atmosphere as they followed the slumped figure of Zak to meet the first interview.

“Bill, I really don’t know if he is going to make it through all of the interviews today. I think just that intro drained a lot of him. I’m really worried he’s just going to collapse on us again,” Aaron whispered, as they entered another room.

“Yeah I feel you. I think he’s getting worse. His eyes were so swollen when he took his glasses off. We need to keep on high alert, okay?” Billy replied in a serious tone. Aaron nodded in agreement and quickly put a professional face on when the first interview walked up to meet the crew.

Aaron sighed and thought,  _ damn, he should have just stayed on the bus _ , when he saw Zak turn and sneeze loudly into his arm again. It was going to be a long ass day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment for suggestions or edits :)


	3. Things Can Always Get Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never say never, the day for Zak just gets rougher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so sorry for such a long delay on this chapter, I have been incredibly busy. This chapter is shorter than I wanted it to be, but I made sure to add some good details to make up for it! 
> 
> *DISCLAIMER*  
> I do not own Ghost Adventures or the people in this story!

Zak felt his breath and chest hitch simultaneously and stopped dead in his tracks, almost causing Aaron to run into him. His eyes began to water as he turned away from the group of people he was following and sneezed loudly into his slightly soiled sleeve. Zak grimaced at how the rough expulsion of air jolted his sore body and caused a fire to flare within his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, to himself. Zak could feel the concerned eyes of his friends on him as he doubled over, one hand on his knee and the other held up to his runny nose. 

“Bless you. You okay, dude?” Aaron said as he came over to his friend and placed a gentle hand on his shaking back. Aaron looked up from Zak and shot a worried look at Billy, silently willing him to help get Zak to quit for the day. Bill sighed and looked towards the front of the lobby where the interview had just walked in. She was talking with one of her coworkers and seemed to be completely oblivious to the problematic situation the crew was dealing with.

“Is that our interview?” A shaky and worn out voice asked quietly from in front of Aaron. He looked back at Zak who had glanced towards the door. 

“Yeah, I think so, but I think you need to sit down. Zak, you’re shaking really badly, man.” Aaron said in a hushed tone. “Bill and I can handle the interviews. Why don’t we help you get back to the RV and you can rest up for a bit?” He suggested, rubbing his friend’s back. Aaron felt Zak’s back stiffen at those last words and suddenly he stood up straight, shaking his head and trying to push Aaron’s tender hands away.

“No, no, I always do the interviews. I’ll be fine. I can sleep later, just let me be please,” Zak muttered. He cleared his throat and began to once more walk towards the interview. Aaron sighed and found himself walking with Billy again as they followed Zak into the lobby, cameras raised. 

As the guys approached the interview, the lady quickly ended her conversation and turned to the crew with a smile. Aaron saw Zak do his best to put on a cheeky grin as the interview began to walk to him, meeting them halfway.

“Hello miss, my name is Zak Bagans and this is Aaron, Billy, and Jay,” Zak said roughly, trying to speak as normally as possible. The rest of the boys smiled and waved when their names were called as the group settled into a comfortable standing circle.

“Pleasure to meet y’all, I’m Jennifer,” the lady said in reply, politely nodding to Zak. Aaron noticed a small hesitation in Jennifer as Zak came closer. However, she seemed to recover quickly, but didn’t extend a welcoming handshake as the owner had. 

“We were thinking the old hallway just over there would be a good spot to conduct our interview,” Bill said, trying to clear the awkwardness in the air. He could tell by the way Zak was holding his chest that talking was really rather difficult for him at the moment.

“That’s a great spot,” Aaron agreed. Zak nodded and silently motioned towards the hallway the group had just come from.

“Absolutely, whatever works for you guys,” Jennifer happily replied to Billy. Jay walked in from the front door with a mic and began to fit their interview with it. The rest of the crew made small talk with Jennifer as they prepared to start filming again. 

Usually Zak was the one to talk their guests’ ears off asking question after question even before the cameras were rolling. However, this time he remained quiet, too quiet and on the outskirts of the group. Aaron glanced around and noticed this peculiar behaviour after drawing himself out of the polite conversation. 

He looked to where his friend was standing, leaning up against the hallway doorway, holding himself rather stiffly. Zak’s head lolled from side to side as if he were internally fighting the extreme exhaustion from taking him down to the floor. Aaron began to take a step towards Zak to try and get him to sit down before gravity did, but he was stopped by Jay proclaiming their interview was ready.

He sighed and looked back at Jennifer who was smiling excitedly and fixing her hair as the crew began to make their way to Zak’s direction and by the hallway. Aaron hoisted his camera back up onto his shoulder and prepared to move with the rest of their small group as Billy kindly explained their filming process to Jennifer.

Zak had disappeared around the corner when Aaron had turned his attention to the doorway leading into the hallway. Suddenly from within the small room, muffled sneezes could be heard from just outside of the passage. Aaron internally winced and knew in an instant that there was only one obvious culprit that could be making such painful noises. 

Continuous wheezing followed by rough, deep, agonizingly sounding sneezes echoed off of the old hallway walls and caused the film crew to hesitate before entering the doorway. Zak could be heard quietly groaning and swearing to himself in the small windows of silence between fits. Jay, who was at the front of the group, looked back at Aaron and Billy with a nervous look on his face, desperately pleading them to do something. Aaron locked eyes with Jay who mouthed something about Zak’s ailing condition and motioned with a small tilt of his head towards the left side of the hallway.

Aaron nodded and quickly began to move to the front of the crew. He muttered “excuse me” here and there as the camera crew began to clear a path for him to make his way through. Once at the front, Aaron froze. It was silent in the hallway, per the occasional creak in the old building’s walls. He looked towards Billy who seemed to notice the eerie quiet as well, and the two men shared a glimpse of soundless horror.

Without looking at or realizing what he was doing, Aaron gently forced his camera into Jay’s chest as he rushed into the hallway. A scarring, traumatizing, and shocking sight impeded on Aaron’s eyes as he ran, stressed beyond comprehension, down the passage to where Zak sat on the floor, on the verge of unconsciousness. 

“Zak!? Are you okay? What’s wrong? Talk to me, man,” Aaron pleaded as he skidded to a halt, practically falling down on his knees into the soft red carpet. He delicately took Zak’s face in his palms trying to get him to open his eyes, but almost withdrew from the intense heat radiating from his friend’s rosy cheeks. However, Zak’s eyes slit open at the sudden movement of his head and raised a heavy hand to rest in the crook of Aaron’s elbow, a low groan croaking from his sick chest.

“I don’t really feel that good Aaron,” Zak said with obvious congestion, his voice barely cutting through the loud worry and panic that filled the atmosphere around the pair. 

“I know, man, I know. To be honest, you don’t look that good either,” Aaron jokingly said, removing one of his hands from Zak’s face to hold onto his shoulder when he began to slide down the wall sideways. A small crisis smile played on Aaron’s face as he silently begged and willed God to keep Zak awake until more help came.

“Holy shit, okay that’s it. Jay, call an ambulance right now,” Billy’s voice said from down the hallway. Loud footsteps and gasps seemed to be getting closer to Aaron and Zak as the rest of the crew moved into the intense situation. 

Aaron glanced up to see Billy sending Jay back out to the lobby with his phone to call the paramedics while he came over and knelt down next to him. Zak rolled his head to look up into Bill’s concerned blue eyes, exhaustion causing his eyelids to droop lower with each passing second. 

“Hey Zak, just hold on, Jay’s calling 911, okay? They’ll be here soon. Do you need anything? A water maybe?” Billy explained and asked Zak, carefully placing the back of his hand to their friend’s roasting forehead. At the words regarding the emergency services, Zak feebly attempted to get up, protesting against the help that was on the way.

“No, do not try to get up Zak, you just collapsed, you’re not going anywhere until the paramedics get here,” Aaron said gently, but firmly as he easily suppressed Zak’s efforts to get up off the ground.

Suddenly, Zak’s chest hitched and loud wet coughs began to rack his lungs as he was thrown into a full on fit. Aaron quickly plopped down directly next to his ailing friend, curling an arm around his back, urging Zak to lean forward all the while rubbing his hand over Zak’s shaking form. 

Zak quickly plunged a trembling hand into his pant pocket and pulled out his inhaler, desperately trying to relieve himself from the dreadful fit. He struggled to even have the ability to suck in the healing mists in between the strong, harsh, involuntary coughs. Eventually, Zak managed to get one lucky whiff of the inhaler. His breaths started to slow as his eyes drifted close, dizziness and fever overriding every sense that existed in Zak’s body..

The fit left him absolutely drained, worse than any post-lock down he had ever experienced. The lack of strength and energy caused Zak to be propped up by Aaron, who carefully let him lean on his left shoulder. The trembling man was completely slumped against his friend as little moans of genuine agony slipped out of his raw throat. Small wheezes were the only sound that came from the hallway per the occasional shuffle as the search for bottled water was conducted by the remaining members of the crew. However, despite the small noises, the entire hallway was filled with a tense and potent silence. The crew simply had to wait and pray that the paramedics could only step on it a little more before things got worse for Zak Bagans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am so sorry for the delay! I will try to do better. Leave a comment please! Feedback is so greatly appreciated :)


	4. Every Breath you Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Zak's POV ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I decided to do this different perspective as one separate chapter because it's not the usual perspective I write in. However, I hope you enjoy this short chapter and I will be updating with the next, definitely longer, one as soon as I can :)
> 
> *DISCLAIMER*  
> I do not own Ghost Adventures or the people in this story!

Zak’s head seemed to be spinning in every possible direction all at once. Actually, on second thought, there was no direction, just one big turning sensation that bombarded his entire body with intense waves of dizziness. Zak couldn’t tell where he was, but he knew he was somewhere on a floor. Despite his confusion and delirious misunderstandings, he soon realized that he was being propped up in a semi-sitting position by something rather sturdy. That thing seemed to be Aaron. The warm, gentle, yet solid man was patiently sitting next to Zak, allowing his friend to use his shoulder as a temporary pillow while the crew waited for help to arrive. 

Zak’s eyes focused and unfocused on the sight in front of him: his legs were slightly sprawled out on the old red carpet and someone was helping his hand hold a bottle of water that was resting in his lap. He could hear someone speaking maybe to him, but he couldn’t tell who it was because everything sounded muffled and quiet underneath the persistent ringing in his ears. 

“Zak?”, another person spoke, much closer to him this time. Zak’s name echoed inside his brain and he knew the soft, but gruff voice belonged to his best friend. Just from resting his head on his friend’s shoulder, he could sense the panic, worry, and concern washing off of Aaron and enveloping the pair. 

In his mind, Zak was comforting Aaron, doing his best to help calm him down through the never ending confusion that spread through his head. Despite his mini fantasies, Zak only had the strength to sigh deeply to show his friend he could hear him. The breath rattled inside his chest and sounded almost like two rough pieces of wood grinding together in imperfect unison. 

Small sputters erupted from Zak as his chest hitched for about the fiftieth time that early afternoon. However, he was simply just too exhausted to be thrown into another one of his intense fits this time. So much so, that Zak was unable to gather the strength to cough and clear his lungs of the heavy mucus. He tried his best, but this time seemed rather different; it was a bad difference.

_ He couldn't breathe.  _

Everything appeared to stop, his heart, his breaths, and everything went silent. His vision clouded even more, if that were possible, but Zak saw people clamoring in front of him. He could feel multiple sets of hands gripping his shoulders in panic, shaking him in what felt like slow, slow-motion. Zak groaned when his head was jolted, but that felt like the least of his problems at the moment.

His chest produced a sensation very similar to drowning, which caused Zak to gasp in a desperate attempt to get a breath. Aaron’s strikingly alarmed face swam into his vision and he weakly reached out to try and grab his friend’s black shirt. Zak saw Aaron’s mouth moving, but he just couldn’t make the words out anymore. Black dots quickly began to seep into the corners of his eyes just as he felt a great commotion vibrating the carpeted floor he seemed to be sitting on. The last thing he saw was Aaron and Billy crouched down in front of him, hands reaching out to try and help him even though Zak had already decided to give in to the creeping darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and lmk if you liked this! Thanks for all of the support :)


	5. Stay With Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while. SO sorry everyone! I have been so super busy lately, but I managed to set aside some time to finish this. Enjoy!
> 
> *DISCLAIMER*  
> I do not own Ghost Adventures or the people in this story!

Aaron had been known by almost everyone he came into contact with to be the more childish person of the Ghost Adventures Crew. He was highly sensitive to the things that happened around him and was much more prone to showing emotions than others he worked with. Having said that, it wasn’t that much of a surprise that when Zak collapsed in the hotel hallway, all of Aaron’s emotions erupted into a furious storm. All at once he felt worry, concern, panic, and many other sensations he simply couldn’t put a name to at the moment . 

Zak was propped up against Aaron’s left shoulder as both of them sat on the carpeted floor of the Saint James Hotel. His friend radiated heat off of his trembling frame strongly. Each time Zak inhaled, his chest hitched with a wheeze and Aaron could feel him wince in his unconscious state. 

Billy was pacing at the end of the hallway, nervously biting his nails. Aaron could hear Jay on the phone with the emergency services in the other room, answering questions that the operator asked as best as he could. Bill had managed to clear the rest of the camera crew and Jennifer out of the hallway to give Zak a bit of room to breathe. A few minutes prior, he had informed Aaron that the ambulance was at least thirty minutes away, but en route.

_ Damn us for being out in the middle of nowhere _ , Aaron thought to himself then. Zak was dangerously pale, even more than he had been this morning, if that were at all possible. Despite his pale demeanor, Zak’s cheeks were a rosy pink as well as his nose and swollen eyes. The flushed tones to the named specific areas made him look much younger, almost like a sick little kid. 

Aaron felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes. Zak was the one that held everyone together, especially when they were out on the road for filming. To see him in this state was extremely troubling, to say the least, for Aaron to see. Zak had been sick a couple of times during shooting before, but none had ever been this extreme. He had always managed to push through and keep a face until the cameras were shut down and put away. However, this time proved to be drastically different. 

A low congested groan came from the feverish man beside Aaron that brought him out of his daydreams and back to the situation at hand. Aaron looked at Zak just as Billy came over after hearing what seemed to be an attempt at speaking for the first time in several minutes. 

“Hey man, can you hear us?” Bill asked gently as he crouched down to peer into Zak’s swollen eyes. Zak’s mouth hung open ever so slightly as he struggled to draw a breath into his heaving chest.

“I'm going to get him some water, he needs to get something in him. Try and make sure he doesn’t drift off completely,” Billy said standing up again. Aaron nodded and shifted his shoulder so that Zak sat upwards more as Bill turned and jogged down the hallway back to the lobby bar. 

“Zak? Can you open your eyes?” Aaron asked, gently putting the back of his hand to his friend’s forehead. He bit his lip and quickly withdrew at the burning fever that raged across Zak’s flushed skin. Zak stirred at Aaron’s cold hand and his face contorted in pain as his arms flailed in front of him. Aaron quickly wrapped an arm around his friend’s trembling frame and held him as he fought back even more tears.

“Aaron... Mm don’t feel good…” a deep raspy voice mumbled barely over a whisper into Aaron’s shoulder. Another breath caught in Zak’s chest and he moaned at the burn that flared across his entire torso. Aaron tightened his grip around Zak and gently started to rock him back and forth to try and loosen the congestion in his friend’s chest. He hushed when Zak tried to talk again, silently willing Billy to come back soon with the water and the paramedics to arrive. 

Luckily, not even a minute later, Aaron’s unspoken wish came true when Bill came jogging back from the lobby area down the hallway with a bottle of water in hand. He came to a stop and cracked the bottle open, kneeling on the ground next to Zak. 

“Zak? I’ve got some water here for you. Can you take a little drink?” Billy asked, his voice leaking with concern. Zak made a sound that sounded like a ‘yes’ in response, but did not open his eyes nor lift his head. Aaron glanced at Bill who tenderly lifted Zak’s chin up and poured a small amount of the bottle water into his dry mouth. Their friend swallowed the water with a groan and his face scrunched up in pain as the liquid traveled down his sensitive throat.

“There you go, easy, easy,” Aaron said gently, rubbing Zak’s back with a soft hand. 

“I’m going to go see what Jay needs, he was calling for me earlier,” Billy whispered, placing the open bottle of water in Zak’s hand. Aaron was quick to react when the bottle slowly started to slip out of his friend’s loose grip and almost spilled everywhere. He decided that it would be best to just hold onto his hand with the bottle instead. Billy had walked back down the hallway and disappeared around the corner through one of the doorways leaving Aaron alone again with their ailing friend. After a minute or so, Aaron noticed something was off. Zak’s breaths had slowed to almost none, and his friend had gone tensely rigid next to him. 

“Zak? Zak, you okay?” Aaron asked, noticing that his eyes were just barely cracked open, staring down into his lap. Panic began to fall off of Aaron when he realized his friend was barely getting any air into his lungs. He moved and sat Zak up so that his back was straight with the wall and moved in front of his face, peering into his half-shut eyes. Aaron waved a hand in front of his face and then placed the back of it to his forehead again. He withdrew his hand immediately, almost being burned by the intense feverish heat. The cold surface against his head seemed to shock Zak and right after Aaron took his hand away, he gasped.

That single small sudden intake of air sent Zak into a spiraling fit. Aaron jumped at the sputters and quickly put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, the other patting his back. Something seemed off about this fit and Aaron’s eyes widened in realization.

Zak wasn’t even trying to cough up the congestion in his chest. He just sat there, mouth gaping, a terrible wheezing sound emitting from his chest, head lolling from side to side. Aaron patted his back and urged him to cough.

“Come on man, cough. You gotta clear it out, Zak. Zak? Zak!” Aaron shouted, shaking his friend probably a little too hard. Zak had closed his eyes and gone pretty much completely limp in Aaron’s grip. Billy had heard Aaron’s frantic yelling and was sprinting down the hallway, feet thumping hard on the old carpet.

“Bill, Bill, Bill, I don’t think he’s breathing! He just passed out, but he isn’t breathing,” Aaron mumbled desperately shaking Zak’s heavy form. Zak’s arms flopped down to their sides, the water bottle tumbling and rolling away from the man’s lap. 

“The paramedics just pulled up. They-” Billy started to explain but was stopped mid-sentence when Jay came bowling around the corner with a full squad of emergency responders. There were three paramedics: two of them were women and had big bags of supplies and the third was a man who was wheeling in a gurney.

“Please, he just passed out and I don’t think he’s breathing,” Aaron begged when the two women had dropped their equipment and were quickly kneeling around Zak. One of them began unpacking the bag while the other moved closer to him, taking his left wrist into her hand. Aaron backed away and stood next to Bill and Jay as they watched the paramedics begin their protocols. 

The man who had rolled the gurney in had pulled Billy over to ask some questions he had on a clipboard. Billy distractedly nodded and began talking to him, while Aaron observed the women and what they were doing to help Zak.

“He’s got a pulse, but his lungs are congested and unable to clear. Bag him,” the first lady, who seemed to be in charge said to the younger. The smaller woman nodded and took out an AMBU bag, attached it to a mask, placed it over Zak’s mouth, and began to pump oxygen into his lungs. The pumps forced air into his body and caused his chest to expand. After a few moments, Zak’s eyes cracked open and he started to cough harshly and loudly. Aaron’s heart fluttered and he had to fight back the urge to move back to his friend’s side. 

The head paramedic gently lifted Zak’s head up and cradled it in her hands as his chest heaved and jolted. The younger woman had quickly pulled out an oxygen canister as well as a mask from the bigger bag and placed the apparatus over Zak’s mouth and nose. She kept her hand on it and carefully pressed the flexible plastic down, sealing the area, and opened the valve on the canister to let the oxygen flow. The lead paramedic had grappled a small portable heart monitor over to Zak’s side and was hastily unzipping and unbuttoning his jacket. The woman rapidly applied the sticky sensors to his bare chest and connected them to the machine, which started to beep at a steady pace. Aaron looked over at Billy and Jay. Both men had their hands covering their mouths and he could see that they had tears in their eyes just as he did. 

“We need to get him to the hospital. He is severely dehydrated and malnourished so we need to get an IV started with fluids; we can do that in the ambulance. However, I am seeing that your friend is exhibiting signs of pneumonia or a very severe chest infection, which means the only thing that can really help him right now are antibiotics. We can get those into him at the hospital”, the lead paramedic reported to mainly Billy and Aaron. Both men nodded and continued to stare at Zak’s supine form on the ground.

“Alright then, Huston, come down here and sit him up. York, get the gurney ready,” the older woman said. The male paramedic knelt on the carpet and gently slid his hand underneath Zak’s shoulders to sit him up against his chest. Zak’s head lolled forward, but the oxygen mask refrained his chin from falling all the way down. His arms were limp in front of him, and Aaron couldn’t help but think of Zak as a doll, which was a bit funny because he hated them. 

The male paramedic, apparently called Huston, had wrapped his arms around Zak’s torso and propped the raven-haired man up into a sitting position. The older woman had moved down towards Zak’s legs and tenderly held them in her arms as well. 

“Okay York, bring the gurney over, we’re going to move him on my count,” she said motioning towards the younger girl. Aaron moved out of the way when the stretcher was brought closer to Zak and stood by Billy, continuing to watch the paramedics work. He tensed when the older woman counted and the small team lifted Zak up and gently laid him down on the gurney. Aaron felt his breath catch in his chest when he saw his friend’s head roll to the side so easily and without effort.

He glanced over at Billy who wasn’t even trying to hide his tears anymore and was full on crying as the paramedics began to click the safety straps over Zak’s feverish body. The young woman picked up the oxygen canister and heart monitor and placed it on top of Zak’s legs, securing them under one of the straps. Aaron heard the other woman count again as she and the man extended the gurney further up and off of the ground.

“Are any of you family? Only family members can ride in the ambulance with the patient,” the lead paramedic said as they began to roll Zak over to where the three men stood. Billy quickly wiped his tears away and straightened up as best as he could.

“I’m his step-brother,” Aaron blurted out, shocking Jay and Billy. The two men recovered their surprise when they realized what Aaron was doing and nodded. The older paramedic looked between the three men suspiciously for a few seconds, but then nodded curtly. 

“The nearest hospital that he needs is about an hour away,” She said bluntly. The lead paramedic nodded to the rest of her team which sent them to pack up the bags they had brought and signaled to unlock the gurney wheels. Aaron breathed a slight breath of relief and followed the emergency service team as they made their way back down the hallway and towards the lobby.

Aaron was struck by the sight before him when he finally got a good look at Zak on the gurney. His friend was deathly pale, which was a big difference from what his tan skin usually looked like. He could barely tell that Zak’s cheeks were still rosy from the fever due to the oxygen mask that had been strapped over the majourity of his face. Aaron felt tears well up in his eyes again when he realized that Zak didn’t even have enough strength to keep his head from lolling to the side. 

The entire time he had known his best friend, not once had he ever been this sick or week. Even when he knew Zak didn’t feel good or when he was purely exhausted from a lockdown, he had always kept his head up until he got home. This was why seeing him in this state was one of the most disturbing things Aaron had ever seen, and he had seen some shit. 

  
_ Please just stay with us Zak, you will be okay, you have to be okay _ , Aaron pleaded silently to his best friend as the paramedics rolled the gurney out into the sun of the warm day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment please!


	6. Time is of the Essence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ambulance rides take so damn long don't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been like 5 months since I've updated this, I'm so sorry everyone. I have had no time to write recently, but I am on break so I finished this chapter today! Enjoy!
> 
> *DISCLAIMER*  
> I do not own Ghost Adventures or the people in this story!

Aaron couldn’t stop his feet from blindly shuffling behind the paramedics pushing the gurney. He just couldn’t pry his eyes off of his best friend’s limp hand that lay draped across his partially bare chest, covering the wires the paramedic had hooked up to him earlier inside. A great commotion was being caused outside, camera crews were scattered everywhere in confusion and there were several of the hotel staff members trying to see what had happened. 

“Make a hole please, people! We’ve got a loaded gurney coming through, please get out of the way,” Huston said in a loud tone.

Aaron’s heart fluttered when he noticed Zak flinch at the sudden change in brightness and the loud voices being heard around him. He watched with a breath caught in his chest as Zak winced and turned his head to the side to try and get out of the direct sunlight of the warm day. Despite his efforts, the oxygen mask still strapped to his nose and mouth refrained him from much movement, and Aaron could clearly see his discomfort. The small paramedic squad quickly managed to push through the crowd of nervous and confused people back towards their rig.

“York, go start the engine, we’re running out of time. His oxygen levels are dropping and his temperature’s rising,” the lead paramedic stated in a calm, yet firm and urgent tone.

The smaller girl nodded curtly, dashed away around the other side of the ambulance, and jumped into the driver’s seat. Aaron watched as the remaining two paramedics opened the back two doors to the rig and spun Zak’s gurney around so that the side with his head would go in first.

“Adler, do you want to get in first and I’ll give him the final boost?” Huston inquired while raising the gurney up and locking the wheels. The lead paramedic, Adler as Aaron discovered, nodded and swiftly hopped into the back of the ambulance. 

Together, they smoothly moved the gurney up into the rig, jostling Zak only slightly. Aaron watched with concern when his friend didn’t even react to the intense movement. He soon realized why, and it made his emotions spike with panic and worry even more so than before.

Zak appeared to be completely unconscious having passed out from the pure exhaustion that had been plaguing him for God knows how long. He wondered how long it had been since his friend had gotten any real and peaceful sleep. 

The crew had been on the road for almost going on a month without much of a break or time to sit and relax. They had a very tight schedule with new episodes to film for their upcoming season and it had apparently exhausted some of them more than others given their current situation.

“Hey man, you coming?” Huston asked in a rushed tone gaining Aaron’s attention back to the present. Both paramedics were busy attaching monitors and other lines to Zak who had remained out like a light since the initial loading. Aaron nodded and shuffled his way towards the back of the ambulance and sat on the small fold-up seat. He observed as the paramedics worked quickly around him on Zak.

Adler was half sitting half standing near Zak’s head, gently holding one eyelid open and shining a pen light back and forth, observing his reactions. Huston was on the other side of his friend’s gurney busying himself with starting an IV line in Zak’s inner arm. Aaron felt the ambulance suddenly shift out of park, into drive, and heard the sirens turn on. The loud piercing sound startled Aaron out of his thoughts once again and made him jump. 

He placed one of his hands on Zak’s right leg trying to comfort him in any way he could while he gently put his other on his brother’s raging forehead. Aaron stifled a cry and dropped his head down.

“Vitals are still unsteady, but breathing has improved with oxygen. Temp remains high at 102.3 and patient continues to render unconscious. We are pushing speeds and are en route to arrive in approximately 33 minutes,” Adler stated from behind Zak giving the full run-down on the situation at hand. Aaron glanced up and respectfully offered a small head nod to signal he understood.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His phone buzzed in his vest pocket and it startled him, but he took it out and saw that the rest of the crew, managers, friends, and family had all been texting him trying to figure out what the hell was happening. He saw messages from Billy, Jay, Bacon, and even Dakota along with several, several others. Aaron’s eyes widened and he took a deep breath before taking his one hand off of Zak’s forehead to open his phone. 

Billy:  _ Hey, how’s he doing? Are you guys almost to the hospital? Is his breathing better? We’re on our way like a few minutes behind you, can you ask what hospital you’re going to? We’ll meet you there. _

Jay:  _ What hospital are you going to? I’m driving with Bill and Dakota, Bacon stayed with the RV.  _

Dakota:  _ Is Zak okay? Billy, Jay, and I are on our way behind you. _

Aaron’s heart rate rose a bit reading through the messages and immediately became overwhelmed to a point where he replied to Bill and had to put his phone away. He sighed and took one of Zak’s hands again, careful of the IV lines crossing over and around his bundled body. A thought from the messages made its way back into Aaron’s brain and he glanced up to look at Adler talking to York through the window to the front of the ambulance. 

“Excuse me, which hospital are you taking us to? A few people from our crew are following behind us and they wanted to know where to meet and wait,” Aaron said as he raised his voice over the muffled sirens. 

“We are going to Arbor Voss Hospital which is about 10 minutes away now,” Adler responded quickly before turning her attention back to the front. Aaron nodded and looked back at Zak who was sleeping in what appeared to be a pitiful state. He glanced across the gurney and observed Huston who had one hand around Zak’s wrist and the other with a stethoscope in hand holding the diaphragm over his friend’s slowly rising chest.

Suddenly, Zak’s breath hitched violently and his friend was thrown into severe distress. His eyes opened and stared around wildly, his hands flew from his sides making the tubes and wires fly in the air, and his hand searched for something to hold on to. A horrible gasping and wheezing sound came from Zak’s mouth under the oxygen mask that was strapped to his face. Aaron quickly grabbed his hand and held onto it, gently pushing him back on the gurney. 

Zak began coughing uncontrollably, his stomach flexing and his eyes screwed shut against the pain from the fits. A loud groan came from the bottom of his lungs that struck Aaron’s heart so badly it made him want to cry like the kid he was inside.

“Whoa, whoa okay Zak? Can you hear me? I need you to try and take a deep breath for me okay? Huston, increase his oxygen and get that IV line back in. Mr. Bagans we are almost to the hospital, just hold on a little longer. Take a deep breath okay, one, two three…” Adler said as she turned around at the sound of monitors blaring and the distress being caused by the man on the gurney. 

The lead paramedic put two of her fingers to the side of Zak’s neck checking his pulse while Huston grappled with the IV that had been ripped out during the fit. Aaron still held his friend’s hand trying to calm him down so that the medics could do their jobs. The episode seemed to have taken a lot out of Zak because his movements had slowed and he was beginning to go limp once more on the gurney.

Aaron’s phone buzzed with a call in his pocket and he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t told Bill where to go. He quickly rushed to get his phone out and answered the phone,

_ “Aaron! What’s happening? I saw you about to reply but then nothing came through, where are you going? How’s Zak?” _ Billy’s frantic voice came across the line. There was a huge commotion of voices and chaos in the background as well which made Aaron turn his volume down a bit.

“Sorry Bill something happened, but we’re going to Arbor Voss Hospital. Listen I gotta go okay, I’ll see you guys there,” Aaron said quickly and hung up the phone in a panic. He winced at Billy’s frantic voice about to ask for more information, but he knew he didn’t have time to talk to them at the moment, Zak needed him.

There were so many sets of hands all over his friend’s body that it would have been damn near impossible to hold Zak’s if he wasn’t so tightly gripping his hand already. Huston and Adler were hard at work, attaching, measuring, observing, injecting, and rapidly speaking to each other as Zak's condition continued to steady and then decline and steady again, in a continuous vicious cycle that seemed to draw on forever. Tears had begun to fall down Aaron's cheeks as he looked at Zak’s closed eyes, the paleness of his skin and rosy cheeks reflecting in the LED light of the ambulance. 

“Turning into the lot now, prepare to disembark the patient,” York called from the front of the vehicle. Aaron heard her radio into the hospital they were arriving at, mumbling a bunch of information and medical terms he had no clue about.

The ambulance came to a slightly abrupt stop and only a few moments passed before the back doors to the vehicle were rushingly swung open revealing another team of medical professionals ready to go. Huston and Adler had packed up everything and laid several things over Zak’s body, similar to the way they had when they first loaded him up from the hotel. 

“37 year old male presents with suspected severe case of pneumonia. Decreased breath sounds on both sides even with oxygen aide, high fever, unsteady vitals. Lost consciousness prior to EMS arrival and also en route. IV fluids administered en route,” Adler rambled off as her and Huston maneuvered the gurney out the back of the ambulance. Aaron shuffled closer to the wall to free up some of the space so that they could get Zak out easier.

The new team of ER doctors quickly ushered Zak away into the hospital entrance without Aaron. Aaron lost sight of his friend as he was whisked away from him and decided that he should just let the professionals do their jobs. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jay knowing that Bill was driving. The line rang twice before a frantic voice answered,

_ “Damn! Why isn’t there any parking - Hello? Aaron? Bill is trying to find parking, how’s Zak? Did they take him in? Shit! Watch out Bill! We’re coming in, meet you in there I gotta help Billy,” _ Jay’s voice mixed with the occasional yell from Billy said before the line ended again. Aaron sighed and hung up before turning to the entrance. The sound of a vehicle door shutting jumped him back to the present and he looked behind him to see the youngest paramedic walking towards him.

“I can take you in if you want, this is the hospital we usually bring patients to so I know the building and the staff fairly well. Or you can just go sit in the waiting room for now,” York offered putting a gentle hand on Aaron’s back. He started a bit when she touched him, but nodded furiously needing to see his friend. York mumbled an ‘okay’ of some sorts and led Aaron through the sliding automatic doors and into the chaos of the emergency room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment please, your feedback really inspires me!


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